Carcass Yield and Quality of Pork from Pigs Fed Graded Levels of Fig (Ficus sur) Fruits Mixed with Maize Grain

Twenty growing Yorkshire piglets of 27.8±1.4kg (mean ± SD) average initial weight were used to investigate the effect of feeding different proportions of ground Ficus sur fruits (FSF) mixed with ground maize grain (MG) on carcass yield and quality attributes. The experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four treatments and five replications per treatment. The treatment diets were: 100% FSF and 0%MG represented as (100FSF), 67% FSF and 33% MG (67FSF), 33% FSF and 67% MG (33FSF) and 0% FSF and 100% MG (0FSF). For all treatments protein supplement (NSC+SBM) was given to provide about 18% CP to make the ration isonitrogenous. Except for the slaughter weight, which significantly (P<0.05) increased with increase in MG level in the diets, all other carcass measurements and primal cuts did not differ (P>0.05) among the treatments. However, lungs (P=0.012) and gastro intestinal tract (GIT) (P=0.001) among the viscera organs were varied. None of the quality attributes of the pork significantly differed (P>0.05) in color, taste, flavor, juiciness, tenderness and texture among the treatments. This indicates that similar quality pork can be produced by feeding FSF as those fed with MG. It is, therefore, concluded that substitution of MG with FSFs in the diets of pigs can result in comparable carcass yield and quality attributes

Feed resources in the highlands of Ethiopia: A value chain assessment and intervention options

Global Affairs Canad

Hormonal oestrus synchronization in four sheep breeds in Ethiopia: Impacts on genetic improvement and flock productivity

Global Affairs Canad

LIVES poultry value chain development interventions: Approaches and scalable interventions

Global Affairs Canad

National mapping of soil-transmitted helminth and schistosome infections in Ethiopia

Background An accurate understanding of the geographical distributions of both soil-transmitted helminths (STHs; Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and the hookworms Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale) and schistosomes (SCH; Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium) is pivotal to be able to effectively design and implement mass drug administration (MDA) programmes. The objective of this study was to provide up-to-date data on the distribution of both STH and SCH in Ethiopia to inform the design of the national control program and to be able to efficiently achieve the 75% MDA coverage target set by the WHO. Methods Between 2013 and 2015, we assessed the distributions of STH and SCH infections in a nationwide survey covering 153,238 school-aged children (aged 5–15 years), from 625 woredas (districts), representing all nine Regional States and two City Administrations of Ethiopia. Nationwide disease maps were developed at the woreda level to enable recommendations on the design of the national MDA programme. Results The prevalence of any STH infection across the study population was 21.7%, with A. lumbricoides (12.8%) being the most prevalent STH, followed by hookworms (7.6%) and T. trichiura (5.9%). The prevalence for any SCH was 4.0% in areas where both SCH species were evaluated. Schistosoma mansoni was the most prevalent SCH (3.5 vs 0.3%). STHs were more prevalent in southwest Ethiopia, whereas SCH was found mostly in the west and northeast of the country. The prevalence of moderate-to-heavy intensity infections was 2.0% for STHs and 1.6% for SCH. For STH, a total of 251 woredas were classified as moderately (n = 178) or highly endemic (n = 73), and therefore qualify for an annual and biannual MDA program, respectively. For SCH, 67 woredas were classified as endemic and 8 as highly endemic, and hence they require every two years and annual MDA programme, respectively. Conclusions The results confirm that Ethiopia is endemic for both STHs and SCH, posing a significant public health problem. Following the WHO recommendations on mass drug administration, 18 and 14 million school-aged children are in need of MDA for STHs and SCH, respectively, based on the number of SACs that live on the eligible geographical areas

Enhanced Virulence of Chlamydia muridarum Respiratory Infections in the Absence of TLR2 Activation

Chlamydia trachomatis is a common sexually transmitted pathogen and is associated with infant pneumonia. Data from the female mouse model of genital tract chlamydia infection suggests a requirement for TLR2-dependent signaling in the induction of inflammation and oviduct pathology. We hypothesized that the role of TLR2 in moderating mucosal inflammation is site specific. In order to investigate this, we infected mice via the intranasal route with C. muridarum and observed that in the absence of TLR2 activation, mice had more severe disease, higher lung cytokine levels, and an exaggerated influx of neutrophils and T-cells into the lungs. This could not be explained by impaired bacterial clearance as TLR2-deficient mice cleared the infection similar to controls. These data suggest that TLR2 has an anti-inflammatory function in the lung during Chlamydia infection, and that the role of TLR2 in mucosal inflammation varies at different mucosal surfaces